230 / 266
Counsel advised that the statutory receipt
is a conveyance within the meaning o f that
word used in the General Orders and that,
accordingly, the scale commission fee is
applicable to the costs both o f the solicitor
for the local authority and the solicitor for
the owner in a case of a compulsory acquisition
whether the assurance is by way o f statutory
receipt or by an ordinary conveyance. In as
much as there will be no agreement for sale in
the case of a compulsory acquisition the com
mission scale fee must be reduced by the
appropriate amount specified in the General
Orders.
Land Registry Maps.
T
h e
Secretary was directed to communicate with
the Registrar o f Titles on tne subject o f a new
practice introduced in the Land Registry whereby
maps are issued to solicitors without the name of the
registered owner of the folio or the area of the
holding.
Sittings o f the Master o f the High Court.
I
t
was decided that the Society should join with the
Bar Council in asking the Master of the High Court
to consider sitting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays in each week, instead o f Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays as at present.
Registry o f Deeds.
T
h e
Secretary read a letter from the Registrar of
Deeds and Titles in reply to a letter from the
Society complaining of delays. The Registrar stated
that every effort is being made to overtake arrears,
and that a re-organisation of the Registry is in
progress.
ELECTION OF THE COUNCIL FOR
1955-56.
17TH O
ctober
, 1955,
was appointed as the final
date for receipt of nominations for the election o f the
Council for the year
1955-56 ,
and 17th November,
1955,
was appointed as the date o f the ballot.
SOCIETY’S DINNER.
T
h e
Second Annual Dinner o f the Society was held
on 4th November, at the Royal Hibernian Hotel,
Dublin.
Invitations were confined to members
o f the Society, o f whom 103 attended. Amongst
those present were Mr. Gerard Sweetman, Minister
for Finance and Mr. Patrick O’Donnell, Minister
for Local Government.
After the toast of Ireland had been honoured,
Mr. Gerard Sweetman proposed the toast of the
Society and the President replied.
Mr. Patrick
O’Donnell proposed the health of the President, who
replied. A pleasant programme of musical items
was given by Messrs. W. O. Armstrong and J.
Stuart.
THE REGISTRY.
Section A.
O
ld
E
stablished
P
ractice
in
busy Southern town for
disposal. Average nett income £1,250. Certified audited
accounts over many years available. Box No. A 156.
S
olicitor
’
s
P
ractice
for Sale in West o f Ireland.
For
further particulars apply to Box No. A 157.
Section B.
S
olicitor
,
15 years experience. Good knowledge o f Rent
Restriction, Landlord and Tenant, Housing and Labourers’
Acts, Land Registry, Conveyancing, Probate and Court Work.
First Class Honours, U.C.D. Box No. B 190.
Y
oung
Solicitor, recently qualified, seeks position. Good
Probate and general experience. Box No. B 194.
Section C.
W
ould
any person who may have a Robb on Bankruptcy and
Arrangement (1907) for Sale, please communicate with Mr.
Gavan Duffy, Librarian, Solicitors, Buildings, Four Courts,
Dublin.
F
or
Sale, O’Connor’s
Justice o f the Peace,
2
Volumes. Box
No. C 142.
MORTMAIN ACT, 1954 .
A
n
interesting measure o f law reform, the
Mortmain (Repeal o f Enactments) Bill, 1954 is
expected to be placed on the statute book before
the end o f the year. Its main purpose is the repeal
o f the Mortmain Acts which for all purposes are
now a dead letter.
Mortmain refers to a state o f possession o f land
as makes it inalienable; it is then said to be in
a dead hand, i.e. a hand that cannot shift away
the property. It takes place upon alienation to
any corporation, sole or aggregate.
By several
old statutes, alienation o f lands and tenements
in Mortmain were prohibited under pain o f for
feiture to the lord o f the manor; these were made
applicable to Ireland by the passing o f Poyning’s
law— 1495. The only way to obtain a dispensation
from this forfeiture was to obtain a licence in
Mortmain from the Crown; this was re-enacted
in England by the Mortmain Act, 1888; the
corresponding Irish statute, which is now abolished,
was the 32 Geo. I ll, c. 31 (Irel.). Thus, up to
the present, in the absence of a licence, a cor
poration could not hold land save under pain
o f forfeiture, unless expressly authorised by
statute, as under the Companies Act, 1908 ; as
most companies were in fact incorporated, these
provisions were largely obsolete, and accordingly
their repeal must be welcomed.
CALENDAR, 1955 .
T
h e
Solicitors’ Act, 1954, will be published in the
1955 issue o f the
Calendar.
The
Calendar
, therefore,
will not be available before February, 1955. Mem
bers requiring copies o f the
Calendar
should order
same immediately.
Price, 10/-. By post, 10/iod.
Printed, by Cahill & Co., Ltd., Parkgate Printing Works, Dublin.